Lancaster lettings agent to sue BBC after TV Watchdog probe

A Lancaster lettings agent featured on TV’s Rogue Traders says he is pursuing legal action against the BBC.

John Sanderson and the directors of One Stop Student Property Rentals, based in Penny Street, say they are preparing to sue for defamation of character and loss of earnings.

Mr Sanderson strongly denies allegations that he withheld rental income from landlords and had been personally profiting from the funds as director of Lancaster Property Network Management Ltd (LPNM).

A spokeswoman for the BBC said: “This is the first we have heard about legal proceedings and we have not received any communications from Mr Sanderson or his solicitors since the programme aired.

“Rogue Traders fully stand by their comprehensive investigation into John Sanderson and LPNM.”

LPNM went into liquidation in September, and Watchdog reported that the company owes around £2m in unpaid bills to utility companies, the local council, solicitors, painters and decorators, and in rent to landlords whose properties the company dealt with.

The company is now in the hands of Preston based Jackson Wright Recovery Ltd.